Nelson Dilipkumar on directing a ‘different’ Vijay film in ‘Beast’

The filmmaker talks about avoiding existing cliches and stereotypes to present a Vijay film that is different from what the star has done so far

The magnitude of a project does not matter to Nelson Dilipkumar as long as the script he writes has a start, conflict and resolution. He says that first comes an idea and when he expands it, he ensures that it has these three vital screenplay elements.

But when he was told of a possible opportunity to direct Vijay, he was posed with two challenges. That it should satisfy the ‘mass’ audience but at the same time, be a “different kind” of Vijay film: Beast has no ‘hero introduction’ song and has very little space for songs.

A fan of the heist genre, Nelson was so used to people telling him that Vijay wouldn’t agree, given that the star is used to acting in a certain kind of film, that he gave it a shot and it paid off. 

Nelson says that Vijay was particularly impressed with the way Veera Raghavan (the character he plays in Beast) was written, mirroring the actor’s real life persona — as someone who is stoic and shy. “He [Vijay] liked the story and from my side, I was looking at what I can do within it. The film has violence but there was no restriction from Vijay sir; he didn’t impose his opinions on me,” he says.

He wanted Veera Raghavan, a RAW agent, to embody a certain style and attitude like John Wick. “The character has the demeanour of a thug,” he adds.

This is not the first time Nelson has challenged himself breaking popular stereotypes and notions. In Doctor, he completely changed the image of Sivakarthikeyan, known for his comic timing and as an entertainer, and made him stoic which worked well. Likewise, in Kolamaavu Kokila, he made a black comedy based on a family’s life-and-death situation. 

The reason his two films struck a chord with the audience was due to this ‘challenge’ and he hopes to repeat the same in Beast. “I think I know how to use an actor and how not to; what are their pluses and at the same time, what are the cliches you can avoid. I factor in all these when I write a script for a star like Vijay sir. However, I don’t force myself to do something different. It has to come naturally,” he says.